What Had Happened WasTrending stories on the intersections of race, sports & culture

StyleTennis player Guillermo Vilas of Argentina plays during the 1977 U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, in September 1977.Focus On Sport/Getty Images

New Pumas harken back to tennis legend

10:00 AMGuillermo Vilas is the best men’s tennis player never to be ranked No. 1 in the world. The Argentine left-hander, who won four Grand Slam tournaments, was inducted into the ATP Hall of Fame in 1991, but in the past year, there’s been a push to get his named officially recognized as a one-time best player in the world. Now, with Puma’s new G. Vilas line, his legacy lives on in a different way.

Vilas originally partnered with the brand back in the 1970s, and these new kicks with his name on them are sure to be of interest for the dad rap retro crowd. According to the company, “this new version for fall is similar to classic, OG design, but has been given a fresh update featuring a speckled midsole inspired by the different textures of the tennis court. This season sees the classic in rich winter colors and warm hues.”

The shoes basically look like a suede version of the California’s, but with a sleeker, slightly more mature design. I’ll say this: They’re a definite improvement on the G. Vilas brand. Perfect for back to school, even if your days on the playground are long behind you.

All DayBlac Chyna, left, and Rob Kardashian arrive for Blac Chyna’s birthday celebration and unveiling of her “Chymoji” emoji collection at Hard Rock Cafe on May 10 in Hollywood.Gabriel Olsen/WireImage

Daily Dose: 8/31/16

2:50 PMGot another podcast in the books, kiddos. This week, we talked about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, our trip to Chicago and the VMAs. Have a listen.

While the occurrence was expected out of Brazil, it’s still not a good development. On Wednesday, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was impeached, a step that does not bode well for a country with its type of problems. Of course, she’d been suspended for the past six months, but considering how tumultuous things were reputation-wise with the nation surrounding the Olympics, it’s not a good look. ABC News’ Miriam Khan has the story.

Though wrestling is not technically a sport, it still deals with issues from a workplace standpoint like everybody else. Drug abuse, discrimination, hiring practices, etc. But the topic of gay wrestlers is one of particular prominence. For lack of a better term, much of the wrestling world was built on the concept of the anti-gay athlete, ancient definitions of the concept of masculinity, etc. All that was once part and parcel with the product. VICE Sports‘ Joseph Jaafari takes a look at the LGBT community in wrestling.

Fred Taylor just levied a pretty big accusation against the NFL. The former Jacksonville Jaguars running back took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to blast the league for its practice when it comes to disclosing injuries to its players. He said that he recently went to the doctor and discovered three rather serious injuries that he’d never been informed of in his career. Obviously, that’s beyond unethical, but proving it is difficult. ESPN’s Mike DiRocco has the story.

Fast Food

Coffee Break: If you don’t listen to Desus and Mero, you need to get on that. The two New York comedians have been podcast hosts and TV personalities, but now their operation is fully weaponized. They’ve got their own show on Viceland. This is tremendous news.

On the topic of An Undefeated Conversation, Justin shares what he wanted the public to take away from it, while Clinton recalls a trip he took to a barbershop on Chicago’s South Side while there for the town hall.

The conversation transitions to a discussion of Kaepernick, who has vowed to sit during the national anthem before games “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Jill questions whether or not Kaepernick would have made a comment like this a few years ago, when he was one of the faces of the league.

Last but not least, the crew talks all things VMAs. Justin’s favorite part of the show in two words: Teyana Taylor.

Give it a listen, and if you have any feedback or show ideas, feel free to email us at allday@theundefeated.com.

HollywoodRay J seen filming on location for ‘Driven To Love 101’ on the streets of Battery Park City on June 25, 2015, in New York City.Photo by James Devaney/GC Images

The magic of Ray J strikes again

4:49 PMWith each passing year, we gain more respect for less interest in William Ray Norwood, Jr. With one TV role, one hit song and one sex tape, singer Brandy’s kid brother cemented himself in Hollywood for the rest of his life. Part goon, part entertainer — his whole life has been like an actual episode of the Real Husbands of Hollywood. If you’re wondering, he’s still making money off that sex tape.

The Sexy Can I singer was getting tattooed at Brown’s house (of course) when things popped off, an incident that involves a claim that he pulled a gun on a woman. Brown, who took to Instagram to post his frustration, didn’t see the purpose for all the commotion. But with his history of violence, he does not get the benefit of the doubt.

“At some point, Ray J left the house and when he got to the base of the driveway police handcuffed him and seized his BMW. They checked his ID, uncuffed him and let him go, but kept his car as evidence. He Uber-ed home,” according to TMZ.

The thought of having the presence of mind to get that order in while sliding out on the low is classic Ray J. Adding to the craziness is the fact that Brown, Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young and former NBA player Gilbert Arenas are all in the same neighborhood. Check out this video of Swaggy P telling Brown to move, all the while you can hear a police helicopter in the background.

Are Drake and Rihanna about to drop a project?

When Drake and Rihanna carried on in their usual way last weekend at the MTV Video Music Awards, fans of both artists speculated wildly about what was going on in their relationship. Aubrey nearly ruined her Video Vanguard Award presentation by going full sensitive, looking like he might actually pull out a ring and ask for her hand during a moment that was supposed to be about her.

There was an awkward kiss, all sorts of memes, then we all went back to our lives. But then, drakeandrihanna.com popped up. With a countdown clock. Which means it’s time for our favorite game: Reckless Speculation! First though, let’s get the details.

An All Day Investigation reveals that this domain was registered in the United Kingdom on Monday. The date at the end of the clock is Sept. 8, a Thursday. It happens to be the day between two show dates in Los Angeles on Drake and Future’s Summer Sixteen Tour. That’s 6 p.m. in Calabasas, if you’re counting. Drake’s regular and clothing sites are created through GoDaddy.com (stars, they’re just like us!). RiRi’s site is created through NetworkSolutions.com. So, this could easily be an outside job. Or an elaborate hoax to throw people off the scent, not dissimilar to Drizzy being late for the VMAs due to “traffic.”

Anyway, back to the game. The first guess, again, presuming this isn’t all a hoax, is an album. They’ve certainly made music before and they’re both at the peak of their powers from an artist’s standpoint. The other option is, of course, that the two are getting hitched. According to Entertainment Tonight, the two are now officially dating. And, again, the countdown date is between concerts in Los Angeles. That’s enough time to get to Las Vegas and back.

The larger question is which would we prefer? A union, an album or … both? This country’s two favorite non-American performers might soon make us all much happier.

Daily DoseHuma Abedin, wife of Anthony Weiner, a leading candidate for New York City mayor, speaks during a news conference on July 23, 2013, in New York City. Weiner addressed news of new allegations that he engaged in lewd online conversations with a woman after he resigned from Congress for similar previous incidents.Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Daily Dose: 8/30/16

10:30 AMI’ve gotten quite a few angry emails over the years, but never has someone come at me on Instagram over something I said on the radio. I guess I can cross that one off the list, now.

One of the pillars of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is about his wall. He’s going to build it, and apparently Mexico’s going to pay for it, etc. The implication is that President Barack Obama, through his porous policies on immigration, is letting all sorts of people in the country who are either A) “stealing” jobs or B) plotting acts of terror. It’s a dangerous and irresponsible premise, but that’s a discussion for another day. Small problem with that whole construct: Obama has deported more people than any other U.S. president ever has, ABC News reports.

With the Tony Romo situation being caput in Dallas, Dak Prescott is now the starter. Not only will he be the first black man to start at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys since Quincy Carter, he’s also a rookie. Starting a rookie in the NFL is just something you don’t do unless you absolutely have to, because there’s nothing that can really replicate what the league is like at game-day speed until it happens. And it almost certainly never occurs when said quarterback was the 135th pick in the draft. FiveThirtyEight’s Chase Stuart analyzes exactly how rare it really is.

Anthony Weiner just can’t get right. My man has a serious problem with sending people pictures of his body, to the chagrin of his family and at the cost of his career. Now, it’s costing him his marriage, as well. Why? Because in his latest episode, he managed to include his child in the photograph, which is just too embarrassing to stand for. If you need a refresher course on just how many allegations and pictures there were, ABC News’ J.J. Gallagher has your back. Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, doesn’t have time for this foolishness.

The U.S. Open is underway in New York, and on Monday we got a great match. If you’ve been trapped in a world of only Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic for the past say, two years, you might have missed the fact that there’s an 18-year-old kid from Maryland who is a beast. Yesterday, Francis Tiafoe nearly outlasted John Isner in the first round, but it didn’t end up happening. That match was a thriller, but if you want to learn more about him, check out this feature from 2014 about where Tiafoe came from.

Free Food

Coffee Break: Few things are scarier than clowns, but this story takes the cake. Apparently, somewhere in South Carolina, there is a band of clowns living in the woods, trying to lure children with candy and money. The clown factor is almost the least scary thing about the whole situation.

Snack Time: The kid who was caught imitating a doctor has been arrested again, but this time, the story’s not so funny. This young man clearly has a problem and needs someone or something to help him out with it.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has set the sports take world on fire with his comments about why he plans to sit during the national anthem before games. It’s sparked a firestorm of debate, and now, musical artist Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, has also chimed in.

The “Mr. Wade” Knowles is referring to here is Dwyane Wade, whose cousin was killed in a shooting in Chicago recently. The Chicago Bulls guard was part of the group of players who stood up before the ESPYS to speak about the police brutality problem in this country. Meanwhile, rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres of the Philadelphia Eagles is also joining in on the protest.

This entire discussion will become very interesting from a TV production standpoint, if once the regular season starts, not only more players refuse to stand, but people in the stands do, too.

There are moments that are genuine in the music industry, but many more that are super fake. Award shows tend to be cauldrons for the latter, simply because there’s no real reason any of these people would be in the same room, save a paycheck. But every once and again something happens that makes you smile, laugh and squee all at the same time. The MTV Video Music Awards are typically good for OMG moments, but typically of the more shocking, quasi-offended variety.

Chance The Rapper is having a crazy summer. His Coloring Book project is doing the most, and his life is at the point where he’s wearing matching overalls and hats to public appearances. Back to the point, this interview is incredible. Let’s break things down frame by frame.

First off, there’s Meredith Graves, who clearly has no idea she’s about to be a part of history. I mean, she knows she’s with Chancelor Bennett, obviously, but the grace with which the queen just swings through and dominates the situation is borderline unreal. Peep the long approach. Appearing in a gorgeous white gown, Beyoncé’s walk alone has everyone else in the frame wondering just what she is going to do. Then, the best part is the casual look off before coming into frame, as to not *completely* photo bomb the set.

Beyoncé smiles for the camera, makes the requisite contact and moves on. Let’s take this moment to discuss Chance’s gear. First of all, the hat is tremendous. He’s been designing with the Chicago White Sox and New Era recently, so we know that he’s on point on that front. Most importantly, however, is that button. First off, who wears buttons anymore? I wouldn’t know where to buy a button if I tried, and if the place wasn’t called the internet.

Daily DoseSan Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the all-new Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe at the Jaguar and Deadspin VIP event at Skylight West in New York City on Jan. 29, 2014, in New York City.Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Jaguar

Daily Dose: 8/29/16

12:04 PMI’m over summer. August always feels like the longest month and it’s finally drawing to a close. In better news, I went to Trillectro this weekend. I was the oldest person there and I had zero problem with it.

Chicago is not a war zone. Chicago is exactly what you get when you segregate, defund, disrespect and disorganize people to the point of chaos. Over the weekend, after The Undefeated’s town hall conversation on the South Side in which we tried to discuss how to come up with solutions for the city’s violence issues, Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade’s cousin was shot and killed while pushing a stroller. Summertime is fighting season in urban America, and if those quarrels are settled with guns, many people die. ABC News reports on the latest spike in violence for the windy city.

I thought Aubrey was going to propose to Rihanna on Sunday night. The MTV Video Music Awards were held Sunday night in New York City and it was a fun one. It’s still the best awards show out there, whether you want to admit that to yourself or not, and rapper Kanye West didn’t disappoint. He also didn’t go nuts, but showed his family love and told his fans why he’s famous. Also, Rihanna. Like, seriously. RIHANNA. Anyways, here’s the full list of winners, in case you’re the kind of person who actually cares about who wins these awards. Rihanna.

Dentists are terrifying. A buddy of mine from college is a dentist, as is a girl I crushed on in middle school. I haven’t seen them in years. Every time I have to even think about the concept of someone putting their fingers in my mouth, I sort of freak out. Luckily, I’ve never had a cavity and never had the unfortunate pleasure of someone drilling into my teeth. In the dentist world, apparently there’s a big question as to whether or not flossing actually does anything. FiveThirtyEight’s Katherine Hobson explains how to keep your kid out of that scary chair.

The Colin Kaepernick discussion has your boy genuinely hopping mad. Playing The Star-Spangled Banner before sporting events is a genuinely pointless tradition that needs to go based on the merit of entertainment, never mind politics. In case you didn’t know, that little ditty that Francis Scott Key penned from Baltimore is actually extremely racist and completely not cool. Sorry. Stay woke. Back to Kaep, the whole point of what he’s sitting down for is why people who work, fight and live under that flag exist. Here’s what he said.

Free Food

Coffee Break: In the world of bad hair decisions, NBA free agent Carlos Boozer is a legend. But who would have thought that someone with his very same initials would make the exact same mistake? Actually, the bit was rather funny and it actually helped the Texas Rangers win a game. The announcers here say it all.

Snack Time: We told you about the Brujas, an all-female skate crew in New York, a while back. They not only empower their own, but they help their own. And when one of them went missing and was found dead in a river, they made sure she was properly memorialized.

There’s really not a lot to explain here, expect that skateboarder Kevin Romar does the most and does it well. Sun is shining, heels are flipping and everyone’s having a good time. The camera work here is particularly tremendous, by the way. If you’re wondering, Romar wasn’t lying about running into NBA legend Dennis Rodman.

Dwyane Wade’s cousin killed in Chicago

12:15 PMIn the 1983 movie Scarface, the lead character establishes a position: no wife, no kids. A ruthless drug dealer who has no problem murdering men he felt deserved it, had a moral code that he didn’t defy, however twisted it might be. In Chicago these days, there are no such rules. Friday afternoon, Nykea Aldridge, cousin of Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade, was killed while walking her children in a stroller, the result of crossfire.

A day before, Dwyane had participated in The Undefeated’s town hall conversation, held at the South Side YMCA, at which he discussed what he felt were root problems for not just the issues in his hometown, but also for black folks in general. Alas, his kin were not immune to the very problems discussed that day.

My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough

According to Chicago’s ABC7 News, “two men approached another man in the vicinity and opened fire … the altercation between the men had nothing to do with her.” She was shot in the head and arm. Aldridge was 32 years old. On a basic level, it’s heartbreaking. Four children no longer have a mother, due to what rapper Guru of Gang Starr once called the “stupid n—– playoffs.”

Not to be outdone by an unfortunate tragedy, comes Donald J. Trump, who is running for president. “Dwayne Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!” he tweeted this morning. Call it heartless, call it crass, call it craven, call it whatever you want. It happened. A person who wants to be in the White House is using the death of a black woman to promote his own brand.